T20 World Cup: Australia's chief selector and coach forced to play, help in warm-up match win
Australia's first Twenty20 World Cup warm-up match took an unusual turn on Tuesday when the team could only field nine players instead of the standard 11 for their game against Namibia, resulting in the chief selector and coach stepping in to complete the squad. The T20 World Cup starts on Saturday and is being held in the United States and the Caribbean.
At Trinidad’s Queen’s Park Oval, the Australians secured an easy victory. They restricted Namibia to 119-9 after the African team was sent in to bat. Australia, led by David Warner’s unbeaten 54, chased down the target, scoring 123-3 in just 10 overs, winning by seven wickets.
Selection chief George Bailey and fielding coach Andre Borovec, wearing unmarked shirts, joined the field after Australia captain Mitch Marsh won the toss. Bailey, 41, a former international cricketer and one of Australia’s best fielders, and Borovec, 46, a former wicketkeeper for Geelong in the Victorian Premier Cricket league, played as substitutes. Later, Cricket Australia reported that batting coach Brad Hodge and head coach Andrew McDonald also took to the field when Marsh and Josh Hazlewood spent time off.
Australia was missing six World Cup squad members—Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green—who were given time off after their Indian Premier League commitments.
The T20 World Cup starts on Saturday and is being held in the United States and the Caribbean.
Australia win by 7 wickets
Australia’s seven-wicket victory over Namibia in
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